USA Co-Chiefs: No Risk, No Reward

USA Network has been the most-watched ad-supported basic-cable network in primetime for an unprecedentedsix straight years, with a mix of original dramedies, acquired movies and off-network series. In 2012, the“Characters Welcome” channel will diversify its lineup with comedy and reality programming and more edgyand provocative scripted dramas. USA co-presidents Jeff Wachtel and Chris McCumber spoke with MultichannelNews programming editor R. Thomas Umstead to discuss the programming evolution as part of an overallanalysis of the USA Network brand.

MCN: Why do you feel it’s necessary toadd comedy and reality programmingto a lineup that’s helped the networkremain No. 1 for the last six years?

Chris McCumber: Reality for USA isa way to broaden our reach and bringin new, younger viewers. What we’vedone over the past several years is builda brand that people are very investedin. We have a lot of true fans at our networkthat watch multiple shows, whichis great, but we want to bring in newpeople to the tent. We know throughreality we can bring in those new viewersthat haven’t necessarily sampledour dramas, but once they get insidethe tent we think they’re going to stay.

Jeff Wachtel: You always have to beconcerned, but no risk, no reward.We’re pushing out with some comedies that have alittle edgier profile, including a show with Denis Leary(Sirens). Our dramas are now starting to push the envelope.We’ve been a wonderful — knock wood — successfulplace to find more upbeat, aspirational, blue-skydramas, and we’re going to stay within our wheelhouseof shows. But we’re also going to push out. Political Animals,a show we’re launching this summer, we think ismind-blowing, provocative and brilliantly written andconceived. It has the highest end of talent with SigourneyWeaver. I guess it’s possible it might alienate ourstodgier viewers, but you always run that risk when youare a broad network. We are most significantly stayingon our brand and pushing out that envelope.

McCumber: Tom, you bring up a good point. Yes, there’salways the danger you might alienate people but I thinkif you paint reality with a broad brush,it might not be the right way to look atit. There are different types of tonesto reality. The reality we’re doing —whether it’s The Moments, where wegiving people a new lease on life orgiving them that dream job or dreamcareer that they’ve always wanted, [or]The Choir, a show where [host] GarethMalone goes into a town a unites peoplethrough song — the tone that we’retaking is very aspirational and blue sky,which is in keepingwith what we haveon the rest of the network.We think it willfit in quite well.

McCumber: If you’recomplacent and youjust stick with whatyou do, I think you’re in danger of losing[your] position. … I think you haveto take some calculated risks to freshenthe network and actually freshen theaudience mix.

Wachtel: Being No. 1 is not a strategy.Being No. 1 is the result of a successfulstrategy. What you have to do is youranalysis and then go with your gut.Chris’s and my job is not to chase ourtail and not to just do what we’ve beendoing, but to push out the network andbuild on our success. The way we gothere was not by saying we have to beNo. 1 and what does it take to maintainyour position, but we got here by doingshows that we love andcreating a brand aroundthose shows that peoplelove, and that’s the job forthe future.

MCN: If we’re talking nextyear, how do you wantpeople to perceive USA’sbrand differently from whatthey see now?

McCumber: I don’t thinkwe’re looking for people toperceive the brand as different.I think what we’vedone so successfully iscreate some of the mostloyal fans and some of themost loyal audiences inthe business, and we knowthat through our research.The more loyalty peoplehave for the brand, themore success you’ll have in a multiplatform world, onthe linear and digital side, mobile — as long as peoplelove USA and have an expectation that USA is going togive them the program that they want and love, I thinkthat’s the key to our success. So it’s building on what wecurrently have.

MCN: Will we see USA expand into any other genres,like sports, going forward?

CM: It’s funny you would say that because we have oneof the best performing sports/entertainment franchisesout there with WWE, which is 52 weeks a year — there’sno off -season. It brings in a great live audience, and havinga live franchise that brings in a [signifi cant] audienceis more valuable than ever right now. As more and morechoices are out there right now, to be able to aggregatean audience in one place live is incredibly important,and WWE is a big part of that on Monday nights. For uswe’re looking for those sorts of live entertainment piecesthat get the audience there.

MCN: With all of the new shows andgenres USA will introduce this summer,does it cannibalize any other parts ofyour schedule, whether its additionalruns of movies or repeat episodes ofNCIS?

McCumber: One of the greatest thingsabout the cable industry is the marriagebetween the acquisitions andthe originals — they work in concerttogether. The acquisitions bring in asteady audience flow and a lot of liveviewing, and we can use them to helpbuild our original franchises, whichagain bring in more audiences and createmore value for the network. As westart to add on pieces I think it’s lessabout stuff leaving or new stuff comingin and finding homes, but rather openingup other dayparts. We’re lookingat not just prime time, but there mightbe late night or daytime [block] forUSA. We look at our schedule in totalityand say, “Where are places that wecan leverage right now?” And “whereare places where audiences are lookingthat they’re underserved?”

Wachtel: Right now we have seven or eight scriptedseries in the summer, so we own three nights. Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday nights we have a two-hourprogramming block in the summer. We’re also going togo after Sundays in the summer with Political Animals.We have a Friday presence with Common Law and weare now a four-quarter network, even though our dominanceis in the summer. We don’t want to be beholden toa 52-week schedule, but it’s about having something onalways to keep us in the audience’s mind.

MCN: Anything I missed that you want to add?

Wachtel: Maybe just to double back on something wetalked about before. It’s an argument Chris and I are makinginternally, and that’s how do you build on the successand how do you keep things fresh? It’s by challenging yourassumptions and by not being afraid to take risks. Chrishas a phrase we using now which is, we’re the world’s biggeststartup. That’s the way we like to approach each day.It’s a little different: We know we’re big and successful, andit’s really exciting to have created that brand and profile,but you can’t come into work every day trying to protectyour lead. You have to be reaching out.